I'm Feeling Lucky - by Douglas Edwards (Paperback)

About the Book

The first inside view of life at Google from one of its original employees--Employee #59--captures the emotions and tensions as the company's young partners race to break rules, defy conventional wisdom, and rocket their company to the top.

Book Synopsis

"An exciting story [that] shines light on the inner workings of the fledgling Google and on the personalities of its founders."--The Daily Beast

In its infancy, Google embraced extremes--endless days fueled by unlimited free food, nonstop data-based debates, and blood-letting hockey games. The company's fresh-from-grad-school leaders sought more than old notions of success; they wanted to make all the information in the world available to everyone--instantly. Google, like the Big Bang, was a singularity--an explosive release of raw intelligence and unequaled creative energy--and while others have described what Google accomplished, no one has explained how it felt to be a part of it. Until now.

As employee number 59, Douglas Edwards was a key part of Google's earliest days. Experience the unnerving mix of camaraderie and competition as Larry Page and Sergey Brin create a famously nonhierarchical structure, fight against conventional wisdom, and race to implement myriad new features while coolly burying broken ideas. I'm Feeling Lucky captures the self-created culture of the world's most transformative corporation and offers unique access to the emotions experienced by those who virtually overnight built one of the world's best-known brands.

"Edwards does an excellent job of telling his story with a fun, outsider-insider voice. The writing is sharp."--Boston Globe

"An affectionate, compulsively readable recounting of the early years of Google."--Publishers Weekly

From the Back Cover

An exciting story [that] shines light on the inner workings of the fledgling Google and on the personalities of its founders. The Daily Beast
In its infancy, Google embraced extremes endless days fueled by unlimited free food, nonstop data-based debates, and blood-letting hockey games. The company s fresh-from-grad-school leaders sought more than old notions of success; they wanted to make all the information in the world available to everyone instantly. Google, like the Big Bang, was a singularity an explosive release of raw intelligence and unequaled creative energy and while others have described what Google accomplished, no one has explained how it felt to be a part of it. Until now.
As employee number 59, Douglas Edwards was a key part of Google s earliest days. Experience the unnerving mix of camaraderie and competition as Larry Page and Sergey Brin create a famously nonhierarchical structure, fight against conventional wisdom, and race to implement myriad new features while coolly burying broken ideas. I m Feeling Lucky captures the self-created culture of the world s most transformative corporation and offers unique access to the emotions experienced by those who virtually overnight built one of the world s best-known brands.
Edwards does an excellent job of telling his story with a fun, outsider-insider voice. The writing is sharp. Boston Globe
An affectionate, compulsively readable recounting of the early years of Google. Publishers Weekly
DOUGLAS EDWARDS was the director of consumer marketing and brand management at Google from 1999 to 2005 and was responsible for setting the tone and direction of the company s communications with its users. Prior to joining Google, Edwards was the online brand group manager for the San Jose Mercury News and the Novosibirsk correspondent for the public radio program Marketplace.
Praise for I m Feeling Lucky
This is the first Google book told from the inside out. The teller is an ex-employee who joined Google early and who treats readers to vivid inside stories of what life was like before Google became a verb. Douglas Edwards recounts Google s stumble and rise with verve and humor and a generosity of spirit missing from many ex-employee accounts. He kept me turning the pages of this engrossing tale. Ken Auletta, author of Googled and The Highwaymen

The best parts of I m Feeling Lucky . . . are those that capture the excitement of being among the explorers and builders who have ventured forth into the new century s new world. Washington Monthly

Edwards does an excellent job of telling his story with a fun, outsider-insider voice. The writing is sharp and takes full advantage of the fact that Edwards was in a unique position to gauge Google s strengths and weaknesses, coming as he did from an old-media background . . . Part of what makes the book so rewarding is Edwards s endlessly nuanced take on his former company and its employees. Boston Globe
An intriguing corporate biography. Christian Science Monitor
Although there have been many journalistic examinations of the world s most valuable Internet brand, this is the first to capture the process and the feeling of what it was like to be there in the early days. Booklist

[Edwards s] perspective as an early employee is valuable and unique . . . the former voice of Google provides a detailed, quirky and expansive half-memoir/half historical record. Kirkus Reviews

An affectionate, compulsively readable recounting of the early years of Google . . . This lively, thoughtful business memoir is more entertaining than it really has any right to be, and should be required reading for startup aficionados. Publishers Weekly, starred review

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Review Quotes

"[A] highly entertaining new memoir...I'm Feeling Lucky is at its best, and most hilarious, in its account of the company's earliest days."
-Bloomberg News "Edwards does an excellent job of telling his story with a fun, outsider-insider voice. The writing is sharp and takes full advantage of the fact that Edwards was in a unique position to gauge Google's strengths and weaknesses, coming as he did from an "old-media'' background...Part of what makes the book so rewarding is Edwards's endlessly nuanced take on his former company and its employees"
-Boston Globe "Affectionate, compulsively readable. . . . This lively, thoughtful business memoir is more entertaining than it really has any right to be, and should be required reading for startup aficionados."
--Publishers Weekly "Although there have been many journalistic examinations of the world's most valuable Internet brand, this is the first to capture the process and the feeling of what it was like to be there in the early days."
-Booklist "[Edwards's] perspective as an early employee is valuable and unique...the former 'voice of Google' provides a detailed, quirky and expansive half-memoir/half-historical record."
-Kirkus Reviews

"I'm Feeling Lucky is funny, revealing, and instructive, with an insider's perspective I hadn't seen anywhere before. I thought I had followed the Google story closely, but I realized how much I'd missed after reading--and enjoying--this book."
--James Fallows, author of Postcards from Tomorrow Square "Douglas Edwards is indeed lucky, sort of an accidental millionaire, a reluctant bystander in a sea of computer geniuses who changed the world. This is a rare look at what happened inside the building of the most important company of our time."
--Seth Godin, author of Linchpin "This is the first Google book told from the inside out. The teller is an ex-employee who joined Google early and who treats readers to vivid inside stories of what life was like before Google became a verb. Douglas Edwards recounts Google's stumble and rise with verve and humor and a generosity of spirit. He kept me turning the pages of this engrossing tale."
--Ken Auletta, author of Googled: The End of the World as We Know It --